August 17th 

School has never been much of an issue because I work hard to keep my grades in the high 90s. Maintaining this GPA isn't difficult for me as I have found a reliable studying method. I also make sure to balance my schedule with both challenging and light classes.

I have the most fun in French since it's a chill class, and I loved my teacher last year. We had to make a project relating to one of the French songs we were listening to. My group got a police officer in the school to do a TikTok dance with us to one of them. During the cross-country season, I make good memories and friends. Near the end, we do follies where we break up into teams, pick a theme, and dress up accordingly. Each team then races, and we all get a prize. Races are stressful, but this is the only time everyone's super relaxed about it because it's more of a team thing than someone wanting to win. 

Although school has fun times like this, it can be hard for me to get started on work initially. I can't pinpoint what motivates me to get that work done, but I usually start by listing everything I have to do. Then, to get me going, I start with one easy assignment. My motivation comes from doing that first assignment and the fulfillment of checking something off my list.

Assignments, though important, aren't all school is about for me. I love that I get to see my friends and meet new people. Also, one thing I appreciate about our education system is that we are encouraged to do extracurriculars. The amount of clubs we have available to us is truly a gift. I'm glad I have a good friend group, but it often feels like I'm with the same people daily. I believe it has to do with all honors kids having similar schedules, but I wish I could branch out more in classes, which is another reason I love clubs. 

It is my first year doing EMC, and what compelled me to do it was that I could learn about something I am passionate about while having the discipline to do so. I'll often want to research a topic but never have the motivation to do it since I don't feel like doing much after sports and homework. My passions get a little lost through the school year. Even though I don't know much about EMC, I do know that I must motivate myself to do the assignments since everything is so independent. I believe that once school starts, it will get easier for me. Since I'll already be doing work, I'll feel more energized, which I know isn't the case for most people. I'm excited to see where the year takes me and how my project will evolve.